Former sub-postmaster Alan Bates has given evidence to the Business and Trade Select Committee, telling MPs that financial redress for wronged Post Office employees is not getting faster and fairer, and that the culture at the Post Office “hasn’t changed” and “will not change”. Report by Jonesia. Like us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/itn and follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/itn
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00:00 Mr. Bates, perhaps I could come to you first. Could you tell us, since you've
00:05 given evidence to this committee before, is the redress getting faster and fairer?
00:12 Well, speaking personally of my claim, I can say no. No? No. After everything you've
00:19 been through? Yeah, nothing, it's still, as far as I know, it's still sat there. We've
00:24 just, we've refused it and that's it. That's where the process is in my case.
00:28 It's very disappointing and this has been going for years, as you well know, and I can't
00:34 see any end to it. Everyone keeps referring to the scheme, understandably, as a compensation
00:40 scheme, but it's not. It's financial redress. This is money these people are actually owed
00:46 and they've been owed it for years. Compensation sounds like it's something that benefits at
00:51 the whim of government and all the rest of it. Let's get it right and let's really push
00:55 forward on that aspect of it. They're putting obstacles in the way, treating
01:00 with caution and suspicion, ultimately, willing to say the right things to the media, but
01:05 behind the closed doors when it comes to doing the paperwork, the experience is very different.
01:09 Is that fair, Mr Bates? Yeah, take them out of the system. Send someone
01:12 in to do the job for them. Get rid of post office out of any of these schemes. That's
01:17 the best thing you could do. Whilst you're not with the post office now,
01:21 I assume you've got friends and former colleagues who still work with the post office and you
01:26 yourself still have a relationship with the post office as you go through this process.
01:32 In your view, has the culture of the post office changed since you were there?
01:38 No. Has at any time the arrival of a new chairman
01:44 or a chief executive led you to think, "Ah, there might be somebody new in charge. That
01:49 may change things." Perhaps Mr Bates, given your experience in the matter.
01:54 I think over the years I've been dealing with post office, the culture has always been post
01:58 office. It hasn't changed. It's been the same for donkey's years. It will not change and
02:04 you cannot change it. My personal view about post office is it's a dead duck and it has
02:10 been for years and it's going to be a money pit for the taxpayer for years to come. You
02:14 should sell it to someone like Amazon for a pound, get really good contracts for all
02:19 the serving sub-postmasters and within a few years you'll have one of the best networks
02:25 around.
02:26 A very radical proposal and not one I'm sure that many of our constituents would be comfortable
02:32 with but interesting that it comes from you.
02:34 One of the big problems I've found with this, or I'm starting to find, is those who are
02:38 making the decisions about the actual claims or what claims are going to be made do not
02:44 meet the victims face to face and discuss it with them. It's all done from an ivory
02:50 tower from someone else and ticking a box and that's it. Their job's done and out of
02:55 the way.
02:56 Does that lead to a lack of understanding of the position that you and your colleagues
02:58 face?
02:59 Yeah it is and I can explain that perhaps in a way hopefully you'll understand. When
03:05 we were campaigning for all of this over the years and people were saying, you know, I've
03:09 tried to take this up with my MP and all the rest of it and the problems I'm having, I'd
03:14 say to them, well look, don't just write them a letter, don't just phone them, make an appointment,
03:18 go and see them, tell them face to face what's gone on. And I've heard from many people that
03:24 what was meant to be a 15 or 20 minute surgery session has turned into a couple of hours
03:30 because they've been so concerned about what they've heard face to face and I think that
03:36 makes a big difference.